Star Trek: Prodigy is coming to Netflix, which will be the perfect new home for the beloved animated series. Prodigy follows the adventures of a group of misfit teenage aliens after they find the abandoned USS Protostar, and set out to explore the galaxy. The first season of Prodigy aired on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon and consisted of 20 episodes. Although the second season had previously been announced, Star Trek: Prodigy was canceled and removed from the library of Paramount+ in June 2023.
With a 94% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Star Trek: Prodigy received solid reviews from critics and fans alike. Despite being geared toward a younger audience, Prodigy contains numerous references and shout-outs to previous Star Trek shows, making it entertaining for Trek fans of all ages. Prodigy also acts as a pseudo-sequel to Star Trek: Voyager and features the return of Kate Mulgrew as both Hologram Janeway and Admiral Kathryn Janeway and Robert Beltran as Captain Chakotay. Stunningly animated with incredibly fun characters and storylines, Prodigy is simply good Star Trek, and has the potential tp become a big hit on Netflix.
Netflix’s Global Reach Can Bring Star Trek: Prodigy To A New Audience
Both old and new fans alike will have the opportunity to catch up on season 1 on Netflix later this year before Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 drops in 2024. As of early 2023, Netflix has nearly 240 million subscribers worldwide, compared to Paramount+’s around 60 million. Netflix clearly has a much larger global reach than Paramount+, which will allow Star Trek: Prodigy to garner a wider audience. This could also prove great for Paramount+, as more people around the world fall in love with the Star Trek franchise. Aside from Prodigy, Paramount+ remains the streaming home of every other Star Trek project, including the currently in-progress Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Netflix has been around much longer than Paramount+ and has become a staple in many homes around the world. Star Trek: Prodigy streaming on Netflix will not only allow fans to access it more easily but will also introduce countless new fans to the show. Prodigy’s move to Netflix marks the first time a streamer other than Paramount+ will air a new Star Trek show since the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.
Netflix Has A Track Record Of Making Acquired Shows Bigger Hits
Netflix has seen great success with both genre shows and animated shows, making it the perfect home for Star Trek: Prodigy. Netflix also has a history of picking up older or previously canceled television shows and introducing them to an entirely new audience. Many Star Trek fans may have even fallen in love with the franchise through Netflix, back when it was home to Star Trek legacy shows. Netflix saved genre shows Lucifer and Manifest after they were canceled, and both shows saw great success on the streamer. Shows like Suits and Cobra Kai have also found renewed success on Netflix, with Suits becoming the one of the service’s most streamed series.
After the highly acclaimed animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender was added to Netflix in 2020, the show saw a resurgence in popularity as new and old fans alike flocked to watch it. Netflix will also be the streaming home of the upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is projected to air sometime in 2024. Like Star Trek: Prodigy, Avatar: The Last Airbender began as a Nickelodeon show aimed at children. The move to Netflix could help Prodigy find similar success, as the Star Trek show likely appeals to a similar audience.
A Big Change Netflix Might Make With Star Trek: Prodigy
On Paramount+, every Star Trek show has aired new episodes weekly, but Netflix has a different strategy for its content. Typically, Netflix either drops entire seasons at one time or breaks the seasons up into two parts. Either way, this will be a change for Star Trek: Prodigy. This means fans likely be able to binge-watch the first 10 or perhaps all 20 new episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 when they drop on Netflix. This strategy will likely work well for Prodigy, as the show combines episodic storytelling with more serialized season-long arcs.
Star Trek: Prodigy’s move to Netflix is noteworthy for many reasons, and it remains to be seen what effect, if any, this move will have on other projects in the Star Trek franchise. With the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 film starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh and the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy show, Paramount+ remains the streaming home of (almost) all things Star Trek. As the only current Star Trek show geared toward younger audiences, Prodigy does stand apart and Netflix will likely be a great home for it. Hopefully, Star Trek: Prodigy will find great success on Netflix, and Paramount+ will keep putting out great Star Trek content for years to come.
